5 Easy Ways To Keep Your Pond Clean

Whether it is on property near a home, on a golf course, or elsewhere, a well-maintained pond can be beautiful and offer many benefits to the property, such as attracting various types of wildlife as well as adding to the property's allure. But no matter what type of pond may be on your property, keeping it looking great requires many different aspects. If you have questions about pond cleaning and the steps needed to make it less labor-intensive, here are some helpful pond management tips we at Crosscreek Environmental Inc. have found to be very effective.

Always Aerate Your Pond

If there is perhaps one thing that is most important to proper pond maintenance, it is aerating your pond. Whether your pond is large enough to be considered a small lake or is a small, decorative koi pond, stagnant water is the last thing you want to have on your property. When stagnation occurs, it is due to the pond's bottom water layer losing oxygen. As a result, oxygen floats to the water's surface and often results in fish deaths. By aerating, oxygen is added to the pond's bottom layer, ensuring the entire pond has an adequate supply of oxygen. In addition, algae overgrowth and decomposing matter within the pond are also kept to a minimum.

As for how to aerate, a bottom diffuser works well if your pond is at least six feet deep or has a tendency to have its top layer freeze over. Along with forcing water to the surface where it can gain more oxygen, the diffuser will also allow more light into the water when it stays thawed, helping to reduce wintertime fish deaths. If, on the other hand, your pond is very shallow, surface aeration from a waterfall or fountain will do just fine. In addition to agitating the water, they also add beauty to your pond.

Buy a Pond Rake

While raking your pond may not sound like an easy part of pond cleaning, investing a few dollars in a quality pond rake will make cleaning your pond much easier than you think. Though it may be a bit time-consuming if you have a large pond, you'll only need to do this task about once a week. By doing so, you'll be able to remove algae, twigs, dead leaves, and other debris. Should your pond be a small decorative one or even a koi pond, you may need to use your rake only about 10 minutes per day. For very small ponds that don't get very dirty, a skimmer may do the job just fine.

Add Correct Plants

If you want to make pond maintenance even easier, add plants that are well-suited to your pond. In many cases, floating plants are great additions. Providing shade to fish and other aquatic life when hot summer days arrive, they also limit algae growth and actually eat up many nutrients algae require to keep growing. As an added benefit, extra oxygen also gets added to your pond's water.

Add Colorant to the Water

Even if you do everything right regarding aeration, raking, and vacuuming, you may still not like the color of your pond's water. If this is the case with your pond, try adding a colorant. Made from dyes used in human food, they are safe for fish and livestock. However, for additional peace of mind, try to use dye that is veterinarian-approved.

A simple process, you should still wear protective gear when adding dye to your pond, since it may stain your skin and clothing. However, once you're finished adding the dye, your pond will quickly start to realize many benefits. Along with water that will have a rich new color, the water's temperature will be lowered so that oxygen levels can be properly maintained. Finally, the darker color of the water will also act as a shield for your fish, since predators will have much more difficulty seeing them.

Beneficial Bacteria

As the last step to keeping your pond clean, plan to add beneficial bacteria. An easy way to reduce excess nutrients, this step also improves water quality and clarity. A way to make pond management very easy, the good news is that you cannot over-treat the water, but you can under-treat it. To keep this from happening, purchase biodegradable bacteria packs, calculate the number of gallons of water in your pond, and add the packs. If you live in an area where summer temperatures get very high, you may need to perform this treatment on a monthly basis.

Though following these steps should make keeping your pond clean much easier, you will likely still have questions along the way. To get your questions answered by experts in pond management, contact us here at Crosscreek Environmental Inc. by calling 941-479-7811 for a consultation or filling out our pricing request form.